Gone To Be Forgotten
by Sushi Chi
Summary: After Charlie meets a new friend, he's got to make a choice. And the wrong decision could cause him to have a relapse. [Sequel to Forgotten But Not Gone, Gone But Not Forgotten.]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Nope, sorry. I do not own Numb3rs or anything that goes with it.  
A/N: Sorry this has taken so long to do. I have no idea how often I will be updating this.  
I'd like to thank Curtisbrothersfan for the name of the story, SyberiaWinx for the main idea of the story, and a big thanks to stealthy290 for being my beta.  
Oh and SyberiaWinx and I made a NUMB3RS site. If you'd like the address of it, just ask one of us and we'll send it to you.**

Charlie grabbed his luggage in the busy airport. The air was stale in the area, full of people. He sighed as he turned and faced Larry.

Larry smiled slightly at his younger friend, "It wasn't that bad."

Charlie stared at Larry, trying to forget all the background noise, "I fell in the punch bowl."

"But it wasn't really your fault." Larry protested, moving out of the way for a young couple.

"I tripped over the train on Amita's wedding dress and then I fell into the bowl, thus making the punch go all over. All over Amita in her white, _expensive_, wedding dress." Charlie grumbled.

Larry scratched his head with his free hand, "I do see why you are dwelling on those few moments from the past."

"Charlie! Larry!" A familiar female voice rang out.

The two turned and saw Megan waiting for them across the airport lobby. They made their way to her as fast as they could.

"How was the flight?" She asked, huge smile on her face.

"Fine." Charlie answered, monotone.

"And the wedding?" Her smiled faded a bit.

Charlie sighed, "Fine."

Larry smiled at Megan, "Amita sends her regards."

Megan's smile grew a bit and nodded, "You two ready? The vehicle is just outside."

The three made their way to the airport's parking lot, so that Megan could drive them home after a long week.

--------

Charlie slowly opened the front door to his home. "I'm back," he stated to thin air.

Alan appeared suddenly from the other room with a smile, "Hi, Charlie."

Charlie smiled slightly, sadly.

"How was the wedding?"

"Pretty good." Charlie sighed, sitting down in a chair, "It was a small wedding, just close friends and family." He paused, "They are going to India for their honeymoon."

Alan nodded, following suit and sitting as well, "That's good to know." He paused, thinking of something to say, "Don is going to come for dinner tonight."

"And when is dinner?" Charlie asked hesitantly.

"'Bout an hour."

Charlie nodded. "Alright. I'm going out into the garage to work for a bit."

Alan watched quietly as his youngest son made his way through to the door leading to the garage. He sighed. He has missed having Charlie home when he was away for the wedding, but it seemed as if his son was still gone. And that made Alan worry.

About an hour later, Alan sent Don to go and fetch Charlie.

Don was glad that his brother was back, he had missed him. So he made his way to get his younger brother. He smiled when he opened the garage door and saw Charlie staring at the chalkboard with chalk in his hand. He walked towards the board slowly and hesitantly moved the chalk before it, his hand was hovering over the board.

"Not sure what to write?" Don asked, walking towards Charlie.

Charlie turned and smiled, "Don." He sighed and turned back to the chalkboard, "Well, I was just debating which method I wanted to use to solve this problem."

Don shook his head happily. "Can't help you with that." He paused. "Come on, time to eat."

Charlie put down his chalk and followed his older brother inside.

-------

_"Chuck? Wake up Chuck."_

_Charlie opened his eyes and only saw darkness._

_"Good of you to join to the living." An evil laughter sounded, "Why aren't you laughing with me Chuck? That's a funny joke, being as I'm dead."_

_Charlie blinked at the darkness. "If you're dead, then why are you still here?"_

_Tirry laughed again, "Honestly, you are really stupid for a genius. I'm here because you want me here."_

_"I do not want you here. I just want to forget you."_

_"But you can't forget me, because I'm not gone. I'll never be gone, Chuck."_

_Just then a blinding pain shot through Charlie. He screamed out in pain, "No! Stop it!"_

_"Have you missed that feeling? That feeling of helplessness, of vulnerability, of the power that goes through you when shocked with electricity?" Tirry asked, maliciously. _

_"This is only a dream." Charlie chanted to himself, "It's only a dream. I can't be hurt here. I can't be hurt here. It's only a dream."_

_"Dreams are real. They stick with us. You know that."_

_The pain went through him again._

-------

Alan woke up to hear screaming. He bolted upright and looked at his clock. The red numbers told him that it was just past one in the morning. He heard the scream again. It was Charlie's scream, and he sounded terrified. Alan quickly ran into his son's room and turned on the light.

Charlie blinked at the sudden light, he could feel his heart racing, he could feel the sweat roll down his body, he could hear himself panting. He looked around his room with his brown eyes and soon found his father's eyes.

Alan walked up to Charlie, "It's alright, Little One. It's alright. You just had a nightmare."

Charlie could feel himself shaking, remembering the nightmare.

Alan sat down next to Charlie on his bed, "Are you still having nightmares?" Alan paused and shook his head, "I mean, are you still having nightmares often?"

Charlie cleared his throat as he felt his heart rate fall, "At least once a week."

Alan cursed. "I didn't know that. This one was really bad?"

Charlie nodded silently.

"Want to talk about it?"

Charlie closed his eyes and shivered, remembering the dream. "No, thank you."

"Are you sure?"

After a length, Charlie answered, "I'm sure."

Alan left the room, shutting the door behind him. Getting more than worried. All day long Charlie had been acting like his mind was elsewhere and now he just had a nightmare. It seemed to be a very bad one, one that caused him to call out in his sleep. He knew that all he could do now was wait until Charlie wanted to talk about it.

Charlie on the other hand just sat in his room, with the light on. He closed his eyes thinking. Then deciding on it, he got up and took off his now wet shirt, if he was going to try and sleep again, he would need some dry clothes.

_"But you can't forget me, because I'm not gone. I'll never be gone, Chuck."_

Charlie shivered as he saw the pi symbol on his chest. He quickly put a shirt on, so that he didn't have to see that.

He sighed, knowing that Tirry was right. He would never be gone. As long as Charlie had scars, he would never be gone.

------

Alan smiled at Charlie as he came down the stairs with bed hair. "Went back to sleep?"

Charlie yawned while nodding, "Took a while though." He scratched his chin as he sat down.

"How about I fix us some french toast?" Alan offered, trying to hide his worry for his youngest son.

Charlie flashed a grin, "Sounds great. While you make that, I'm going to get ready."

"Ready? What for, son? It's Saturday. You don't have to teach a class today." Alan raised an eyebrow as he stood up, getting ready to make breakfast.

"I need to go to the library." Charlie answered, stretching his arms as he too, stood up.

Alan nodded and went to make some food for the two of them.

Charlie sighed as he made his way to the bathroom. He shaved as he let the shower water warm up. He shivered as he saw the scars on his body, the memory of the dream came back in full. He shook his head, trying to forget it. He could feel a tear roll down his cheek along with the water from the shower.

When he was done he opened the door and walked out, smelling the food right away. His stomach growled as he made his way into the dining room. "Smells great, dad." He flashed another smile.

"Thank you, Charlie." Alan sat two plates on the table. Alan let Charlie eat in peace for a length, then he spoke up, "How long are you planning to be at the library?"

Charlie shrugged as he swallowed a mouthful. "Not for sure dad. Why?"

"Dr. Roland wants to see you today. It is your first full day back since the wedding. So, you need to be here by one."

Charlie sighed, "Alright." He started eating again, but stopped when he noticed that his father was watching him, "Dad?"

"Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Charlie made eye contact, "You mean about the dream?" Alan nodded while Charlie shook his head, "Don't really want to talk about it."

Alan sighed, "You know you need to talk about it, right? Why have you been hiding the fact that you've been having nightmares at least once a week from me?"

"I wasn't hiding them."

"Yes you were. How many times have I asked you if you slept alright and you just told me that you had? That you had slept like a baby? How many times?"

Charlie took a drink from his glass of milk, thinking up an answer. "Well, in reality, babies often wake up in the night. So, in a way I wasn't really lying."

Alan threw his hands up in the air, "I don't know what I'm going to do with you." He got up and walked out of the room.

Charlie stared down at his half eaten food and pushed the plate away. He jumped when he heard Alan's voice yell at him through the closed door.

"I'm Going Out To The Garden. Make Sure You Take Your Medication Before You Leave."

-------

As Charlie walked up to the front desk, he couldn't believe what he was actually doing. He didn't really believe what the books would tell him, so why was he going to see what they said?

"Excuse me." Charlie said quietly to the woman behind the desk. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Where are the books about dreams? The ones that tell you what dreams mean?"

The librarian sighed, "Elizabeth."

A young woman walked up. She was thin and pale with ice blue eyes. Her long, blonde hair was tied back in a plait. "Yes Mrs. Peterson?"

"This man here wants to know where the dream books are. Why don't you show him? I'm sure you know where they are. You're here enough." Her voice was stern, but quiet.

Elizabeth nodded and turned towards Charlie, smiling shyly, "Follow me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Standard still applies.  
A/N: Character change in the ending of last chapter. Just letting you know.  
And this story may take a while between updates because this semester in school I'm taking harder classes (even college classes - I'm still in high school) also I need to draw more (see, I'm illustrating a children's book). And tennis elbow is mean to me. I just wanted to let you all know that.  
Big Huge Thanks to stealthy290 as my beta.  
On with the story.**

* * *

Elizabeth walked up on Charlie. "Excuse me," she asked quietly. When Charlie looked up suddenly, she took a deep breath. "Do you really think that those books will help you?" 

Charlie looked down at the book before him. A book telling him what dreams meant, "Honestly? No," he said, closing the book. "I know why I'm having the same nightmares over and over. It's just that I was hoping that they'd be able to tell me how to get rid of them."

Elizabeth looked at the book. "Well, it does." She pointed to one paragraph. "It says here that you need to find out what your fear is and confront it."

Charlie chuckled shortly. "Yeah. Well, I know what my fear is and I can't really confront it."

She sat down next to him. "Why not?"

"He's dead."

She was quiet for a moment. "Oh."

Charlie flashed her a grin. "Don't worry about it." He paused. "My name is Charlie Eppes."

"Elizabeth Parker." She smiled at him. "Pleased to meet you, Charlie."

"And you, Miss Parker." Charlie closed the book. "I've got a question for you." She nodded. "Would you like to join me for lunch somewhere?"

"I-I can't." Elizabeth's posture suddenly stiffened.

Charlie nodded sadly. "Alright."  
"I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright." He smiled sadly at her as he stood up. "I'll see you around."

"Y-Yeah. See you."

* * *

Charlie walked into his house and threw himself on the couch. He sighed and closed his eyes. 

"That you, Charlie?" Alan yelled from somewhere in the house.

"Yeah, Dad!" Charlie yelled back. He opened his eyes and looked at his watch, it was 12:34. He sat up and ran his hands through his hair. His stomach growled, but Charlie didn't really feel like eating - even if he was hungry. So he lay down on the couch and turned over, ignoring the hunger.

Alan walked in and saw Charlie lying on the couch. "Charlie? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Dad," Charlie mumbled, turning over to face Alan.

"You hungry? I'll fix you something for lunch," Alan proposed.

The son sighed, "Nah. I'm fine." And then his stomach growled.

The father raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Sound hungry to me."

"I'm not." Once again, he was betrayed by his stomach.

"I'm fixing you something and you are going to eat it," Alan forced, setting off to make some food. When he returned with a plate of food, he watched his son. "You need to eat it."

Charlie sat up slowly and took a bite. "Happy?"

"Eat more," Alan urged. "I had noticed that you had lost some weight while you were away for the wedding. Have you been eating like you should?" He paused. "And don't lie."

Charlie took a second bite before he replied. "No."

"Why not?"

"Haven't been hungry," Charlie answered simply.

"Really? Like you are right now? Not hungry?" Alan didn't wait for a reply. "The thing is, you are hungry. So why aren't you eating?"

Before Charlie could answer, the door bell rang. Charlie got up and answered it, letting Dr. Harry Roland in.

"Hiya, Charlie," Roland said, walking in with a smile on his face.

Alan stood up. "Dr. Roland, I'd like to have a word with you." Roland nodded and Alan turned to Charlie. "Go into the kitchen and eat your sandwich. Come back in when you're done eating it."

Charlie sighed and grabbed the plate. "Fine." He started walking out.

"And eat it. Don't throw it away," Alan added before Charlie left the room.

Roland faced Alan with a questioning look on his face as the two sat down. "What is this about, Mr. Eppes? Is this about Charlie?"

Alan nodded. "I'm worried about him. Since he came back, he has been more withdrawn." Roland nodded as Alan continued, "Last night he had a severe nightmare. I also found out that he has been having nightmares at least once a week. Did he tell you that?"

Roland took a breath. "No. He didn't. He would tell me the occasional nightmare he had. But when I asked him, he said that he wasn't getting them that much anymore." Roland looked at Alan, "There is more to your worries, isn't there?" Alan nodded. "And it has to do with his eating, I'm guessing."

"How did you know?" Alan asked.

"You told him that he had to eat the food and not throw it away," Roland answered, leaning back in his chair.

Charlie walked in. "Having fun talking about me?"

"Charlie, your father is worried about you, that's all," Roland answered, indicating for Charlie to sit down in a chair. "And after what he just shared with me, I'm a bit worried myself."

Charlie closed his eyes and brought his hand up to hold the bridge of his nose. "Alright. I get it. I'll tell everyone when I had a nightmare and I'll eat when I'm supposed to. Happy?"

Roland sighed. "That will help, yes. But you know that we don't want something to happen to you, right?"

Charlie opened his eyes and looked at them. "You guys don't have to treat me like a kid."

"Well, sometimes I have to. So that you will be alright," Alan said in a stern voice.

"You don't trust me enough to be able to take care of myself?" Charlie asked, anger rising.

"No," Alan answered.

Charlie glared at his dad and got up. He stormed out of the room without another word.

Alan and Roland shared a look. This wasn't good.

* * *

Charlie was just sitting outside, watching the koi fish in the pond when his cell phone rang. "Hello." 

"Dr. Eppes?" A female voice asked.

"Speaking," Charlie answered, leaning down into his seat.

"This is Dr. Flint."

"Oh." Charlie said, surprised. "What can I do for you?"

"I'd just like to remind you that you have a check-up tomorrow morning."

"Yes, thanks for reminding me, doctor," Charlie told her, being polite.

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes. Tomorrow," he replied, hanging up the phone.

Just then the door opened and Alan stepped out. "Charlie?" he sighed. "Will you come in and talk?"

Charlie nodded shortly and got up. "Yeah. I guess." He followed Alan into the house.

Once everyone was situated in a chair, Roland turned to Charlie. "I want you to tell me about the nightmare you had last night."

Charlie sighed. "Tirry electrocuted me," he put it bluntly.

Alan closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. He knew that Tirry was still haunting Charlie, but he didn't expect that.

Roland nodded. "Did he ever electrocute you when you were in the basement?"

"No."

"Do you think there is any significance that he was electrocuting you?" Roland asked, leaning forward in his chair.

Charlie nodded. "It was like the ECT sessions," He answered shortly.

"Ah, yes," Roland said simply. "And you've still been having nightmares, right?" Charlie nodded. "Are they normally like this?" Charlie shook his head. Roland waited for Charlie to continue talking.

"They are usually not that bad, anymore. Normally, Tirry would just taunt me. He doesn't usually torture in my dreams anymore."

"I see," Roland said. "And why haven't you been eating?"

"Haven't been hungry," Charlie answered, keeping his gaze down low.

Alan cleared his throat. "Tell the truth, Charlie."

Roland's brow creased. "The truth?"

Alan nodded. "He has been hungry. He just hasn't been eating."

The doctor turned to his patient. "And why haven't you been eating, if you're hungry?"

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't been feeling like I want to or need to eat."

"But you're hungry? And feeling this way?" Roland asked as Charlie nodded. "Huh." He paused. "Right. Well. We'll talk about this later. Just eat even though you don't feel like it."

Charlie nodded and sighed, "Alright."

Roland's watch beeped. "I have to go now, I'll see you later." And with that, Roland left Charlie alone with Alan.

Charlie stood up. "I'm going to work on my lesson plans."

Alan watched mutely as Charlie walked out of the room. He chewed his bottom lip worriedly. What was going on with Charlie?


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Standard still applies.  
A/N: Reviews are appreciated.  
Sorry for the late update. We lost our power for three days not that long ago and my muse seemed to have gone on vacation - and only sends post cards once in a while.  
Elizabeth and Nate are both of my own creation and are not modeled off anyone that I know.  
Warning: Talk of abuse is in this chapter.  
And as always, a thanks to stealthy290.**

**

* * *

**Dr. Mina Flint raised her eyebrow as Charlie walked into the examination room. "You've lost weight." 

Charlie sighed. "Why does everyone have to point that out to me? I know that I've lost weight," he grumbled.

Flint licked her lips. "I just making a comment," she said defensively.

"Yes, and don't worry about it. I've gotten lectured about it by other people, so I don't need to you to tell me about how I need to eat, too."

"Alright. I won't then." She indicated for Charlie to have a seat.

"So, this is just a regular check-up?" Charlie asked.

Flint nodded. "Pretty much."

"Pretty much? So, there's a little bit more?" Charlie asked, on edge.

Flint smiled sadly. "There is always a little bit more when it comes to you, Charlie."

He thought about that. She was right. He didn't usually get 'regular' check-ups. His also included a little of blood testing and not to mention checking on some of his wounds that were more severe.

"Take off your shirt." Flint instructed. Once Charlie had done as he was told, she clicked her tongue at the brand on his chest. "Looks like it might be getting infected again." She indicated at the pinkish-red surrounding the pi symbol.

Charlie looked down. "I don't know why I'm having so much trouble getting that to heal over," he said to himself more than anyone.

Flint scoffed a bit. "It was done on day one. It went without treatment for five days."

"But that was so long ago. Shouldn't it be healed by now? Even if it wasn't taken care of for five days?"

"Normally, yes. But," Flint paused, thinking on how to word the sentence, "That would be if it was under normal conditions. It is not in a good area for it to heal. And your recent weight loss isn't helping it any."

"I told you I didn't need you to lecture me on that." Charlie eyed his doctor.

"Fine. I won't." She walked over to a counter. "I'm writing you a prescription. Antibiotic. It should help get rid of infection."

"And keep it away?"

Flint shrugged. "We can only hope." She handed him a piece of paper, "I don't think this should effect any of your other prescriptions."

Charlie took the paper and pocketed it. "Thanks." After a while of her checking him out, he spoke up, "Anything else wrong with me?"

"Not that I can see." She smiled. "Come back in two weeks and we'll see how that infection is doing. But if it gets worse-"

"-I know." Charlie cut in, "Come in right away."

Flint opened the door for him. "Correct." She watched silently as Charlie walked out of the examination room.

He sighed as he was walking down the hallways. He hated hospitals. Every single kind of hospital gave him the creeps. As Charlie turned the corner, he almost fell into somebody. "Oh. I'm so sorry," he murmured, without looking up.

"It's alright," came a quiet voice.

Charlie looked up at the person then. "Elizabeth Parker?" he asked, in shock at the way she looked. She had a fat lip and a shiner. "What happened? Are you alright?"

She stared back at him nervously. "I. Uh. I fell down the stairs at h-home."

Charlie looked her over. "Are you alright?"

She nodded shortly. "Nothing to worry about." She gave him a weak smile. "I'm just a big lummox."

"I don't believe that." Charlie said. "Can I walk you out to your car?"

"I-I took a taxi . . ." They headed to the doors that lead outside. "Why are you here?" Elizabeth was more at ease than before.

"Check-up," he answered nonchalantly.

She nodded. "Everything go alright?"

"Basically." He paused when they got to the curb, "Would you like to have lunch with me, today?"

"I-I've got a boyfriend," she said, getting nervous again.

Charlie nodded. "Alright. But what if I take you out as a friend. I mean, You're hurt and you shouldn't have to eat by yourself."

Her stomach growled. "I-I guess. As a friend," she said the last sentence forcefully.

"Of course," he said. "My car is this way." He led her into his vehicle and she smiled gently as she got in.

"Thank you for this," she said, her voice quite steady.

He flashed her a grin. "Hey, it's no problem." Charlie started the car and turned on the radio, "What kind of music do you like?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I like about anything."

"Alright."

Elizabeth felt at ease with Charlie. She felt like she could be herself and not have to worry. She sang along with the song _Slide _by the Goo Goo Dolls.

"You've got a beautiful voice," Charlie remarked.

Elizabeth blushed. "No, I really don't."

He chuckled with a smile on his face. "Yes, you do."

He rather liked Elizabeth. She was nice and kind and she didn't judge him. Of course she had no reason to judge him yet, but if he told her what had happened, he knew that she would want to get away from him as fast as she could.

He shot a glance at her when she had fallen quiet. Her body was shaking some. "Elizabeth?"

She swallowed hard, putting on a smile for Charlie. "I-I'm fine."

Charlie reached up and shut off the song _Push _by Matchbox 20. Silence filled the car. "So, uh. Where do you want to eat?"

Elizabeth shrugged. She had been thrown off by the song, and she was glad when he had shut off the radio. "Wherever you'd like. I'd be fine with."

Charlie nodded slowly. "There is this great French Café coming up."

"Sounds wonderful."

* * *

They were waiting for their food when Elizabeth's eyes popped out of her head. "Oh. No. Please. No," she murmured to herself more than anyone else. 

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Maybe he won't see us," she suggested, chuckling nervously.

"Who?" Charlie probed.

She hung her head. "He's coming."

Charlie looked around and spotted a man coming towards them, his face red with fury. He had a wide face with blazing green eyes with sandy blonde hair. He was a big man, bigger than Colby and David put together. His square shoulders showed up in the daylight with his black shirt on and his blue jeans.

"Beth?" The man said when he was standing next to her and Charlie. His voice rumbled out of his chest, a sneer on his face.

She looked up, fear in her eyes. "Hi Nate." She bit on her lip. "Wh-Why don't you s-sit and join us?"

Nate leered at Charlie as he pulled up a chair. "Who the hell are you?"

Charlie swallowed. He felt the anger rising from Nate. "Ch-Charlie. Charlie Eppes."

Nate suddenly turned on Elizabeth. "Are you not going to introduce me, woman?"

She nodded quickly. "Ch-Charlie, this is Nate. Nate Tomas. My boyfriend."

"Beth," Nate said forcefully, staring at Charlie. "Go in my truck and wait."

"Wh-Where did you par-" she started quietly before Nate interrupted.

"Just go. Now." She nodded and stood up, walking off. Nate now faced Charlie completely. He glowered at the smaller man. "And you. You will stay away from my Beth. If I find out that you went out of your way to see her again, I will hurt you so bad that you wish that you had died." He had said the latter in a low, quiet voice that Charlie had to strain to hear.

Charlie nodded quickly. "A-Alright."

Nate just glowered at Charlie for a length before he left, to get his point across. And once he was gone, Charlie let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Charlie didn't doubt Nate's threat. He turned and watched Nate turn the corner as he thought about Elizabeth.

He had to go and see Don. Right away. He put down a twenty on the table and walked off without eating.

* * *

Charlie had to wait to see Don. Don and his team were out on a lead on some case, so all Charlie could do was wait. 

He was pacing, thinking about the situation he was in. Did he know that Nate was abusing Elizabeth? No. But he was sure that he was. This was wrong. He had to do something. Get some proof or get Elizabeth to confide in him. What was that song that had made her act nervous in the car? Charlie had his hand resting on his temple, trying to remember as he paced back and forth. But what if he continued to see Elizabeth, trying to get her help? What if Nate found out? What was that damn song? Charlie knew that would be a kind of key to the truth.

* * *

Don smiled as the elevator doors opened. "Hey, guys. That was great," he told his team. 

"Bust went down perfectly. It was amazing," David agreed. Megan nodded.

"My favorite part?" Colby said, "Is the part where we don't have that much paperwork."

The four of them laughed as they stepped into the office area.

Don's eyes immediately went to his brother. Why was Charlie here? He looked at his watch, it was 1:07. He should be talking to Roland right now. Don stared at Charlie, hanging back with his team as they all watched Charlie pace back and forth, muttering to himself.

The four of them shared the same look. Was Charlie having a relapse? Don felt himself gulp as he walked up to his brother and put a hand on Charlie's shoulder when he walked by.

Charlie visibly jumped. "Don!" He sighed. "Don." He chuckled a bit.

"Charlie?" Don asked, keeping his voice as even as he could. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I think I need to talk to you."

"That's the thing, Charlie. You shouldn't be talking to me."

"What?" Charlie asked, his voice broke a bit. Why shouldn't he be talking to Don?

"You are supposed to be talking with Dr. Roland right now."

"Oh. Shit!" Charlie said. He sat down in Don's chair and ran his hands through his hair. "I'd better call him."

Don waited patiently as Charlie called and explained some to Roland. But once Charlie was done with the call, Don decided to repeat his question. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay," Don said, blinking. "Go ahead."

Charlie gulped. "Well. See. I was having lunch with Elizabeth-"

"Who?"

"Elizabeth Parker. I met her at the library recently and then I ran into her at the hospital."

"Hospital? Why were you at the hospital?" Don asked, worried.

"I had a check-up with Dr. Flint," Charlie continued his story without commenting on how the check up went, knowing that Don wanted to talk about that. "And then we went to have lunch together. As friends. But while we were waiting for our food, this man came up. Nate . . . something. Anyway, when he showed up and Elizabeth got all nervous and he was really mad that she was having lunch with me. Turns out he's her boyfriend. And he told her to leave and she did without questioning and then he turned to me and threatened me with bodily harm if I ever saw her again."

Don chewed on his gum thoughtfully. He could see why that would bother Charlie. He probably believed that Nate would harm him. But Don thought that it sounded like Nate was just trying to scare Charlie away from Elizabeth. "Okay," Don said slowly.

"_Okay_? What do you mean '_Okay'_?" Charlie asked, "Don't you get it? I think he's abusing her."

"Aw, Come on," Don said, his voice light. "Don't you think you may be over reacting a little? Reading between the lines or something?"

"No."

Don nodded. "Alright. So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Well . . ." Charlie started thinking. "Maybe you could check up on this Nate guy . . ."

"We'd need his last name," Don said. Would he really check up on the guy? Why not? He had actually threatened his brother. This guy could be for real.

Charlie's face fell. What was Nate's last name? He was sure that Elizabeth had said it.

Don looked at his brother, shoulders slumped. "I'll tell you what. Why don't you go home and maybe think about this some. Think about it logically. If you remember a last name, call me."

Charlie nodded slowly. "Alright. I guess."

Don patted Charlie on the back as he walked out. "Alright. Don't push yourself to hard."

_Push_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Standard still applies.  
A/N: I do not claim any ownership for the song "Push". It is a Matchbox Twenty song.  
Sorry it took so long.  
And as always, a thanks to stealthy290.

* * *

**

Charlie drove home right away. He could hardly breathe. He knew he was right. Wasn't he? He'd just have to check the lyrics to the song. He just had to. And what if he was right? That would mean that Elizabeth was being physically abused by her boyfriend, Nate something-or-other. What was his last name? He probably had a record. Charlie doubted that Elizabeth would have kept quiet from the beginning about the abuse; she had probably called the cops. But then, why wasn't Nate in jail? Had he been before? Or had he squashed the reports somehow? But how could he squash the reports?

Charlie shook his head as he pulled into the driveway. He needed to keep his thoughts on track. What was the reason why he rushed home? Oh, yes. The song. He had to check the lyrics.

Charlie ran past his shocked father to his laptop. "Charlie?" Alan asked, following his son to the table where the laptop lay. "Charlie?"

Charlie frantically opened his laptop as his fingers started dancing across the keyboard. He opened a search engine.

"Charlie?!"

Charlie jerked his head. "Dad?" He smiled feebly. "What's up?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. You came in here like," Alan paused, "well… like something was wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," Charlie said, slowing his pace a bit. "Or at least, I hope not. But, God. What if something was wrong?" His eyes widened in fear.

"Charlie?" Alan asked again, raising his eyebrows. Alan watched at Charlie's eyes darted back on forth across the screen.

"Ah-ha!" Charlie said triumphantly after a length.

And because Charlie wasn't answering Alan, he peered over his son's shoulder.

_I wanna push you around, I will, I will  
I wanna push you down, I will, I will  
I wanna take you for granted  
I wanna take you for granted  
I will_

"My God. No." Charlie voice faltered.

"Charlie?" Alan asked, yet again. "What is this?"

Charlie's throat was dry. He blinked at the screen. "N-N-Nothing," Charlie answered.

Why? Why would Nate hurt someone? Especially Elizabeth? It just didn't seem right. Charlie was lost. What could he do?

Alan put his hand on Charlie's shoulder, causing the young mathematician to jump. "Charlie. Tell me what is wrong." Alan sat down next to his son. "Please tell me."

Charlie sighed, resting his head in his hands. "I-I. I can't."

Alan eyed Charlie. "You know, for some reason I don't believe that." He paused. "You just aren't ready to talk about it. And that's fine." Alan got up. "Just tell me when you're ready."

* * *

Charlie had spent the next two days searching for Elizabeth. He needed to talk to her. The problem was he just couldn't find her. He had gone to the library the next day, and asked the librarian where Elizabeth was, but she didn't know. Heck, she didn't even know Elizabeth's phone number or address.

Charlie had also been racking his brain for Nate's last name. But alas, nothing ever came up.

So, in essence, Charlie was having a horrible few days. Nothing was going his way. Not at all.

Alan watched Charlie those few days. Trying to get him to eat and sleep. Do something other than search and think. Alas, Charlie was not listening to him.

* * *

Alan eyed Charlie as he came down the stairs for breakfast. By the time Charlie was in the kitchen, he was breathing hard.

"Charlie? Are you alright?"

Charlie nodded, moving into a chair. He closed his eyes and started breathing deeply. "Yeah. I'm pretty… sure I'm… fine."

"I don't think you are," Alan said, sighing. "I know you haven't been taking care of yourself these past few days. You've been to busy trying to find...Oh. What's her name?"

"Elizabeth," Charlie supplied the answer.

Alan nodded. "Yes. Her. I don't know why you're looking for her, though. You still won't tell me."

Charlie opened his eyes and looked at his father, "I want to know for sure before I tell you."

"Alright, Little One. Whatever you say." Alan put down a plate of eggs in front of Charlie as he took a chair himself. "I still don't think you're alright. No matter how much you protest." He paused, thinking over the past few days and how his son had been driving himself to this condition. "You never did say how the check up the other day went."

"It all went well. Nothing wrong with me," Charlie said simply. He paused, "Except..."

Alan watched as Charlie's face fell. "Except what? What, Charlie?"

"...I forgot to fill an antibiotic prescription," he answered hesitantly.

"A prescription? What for?" Alan asked, worried.

Charlie unbuttoned his shirt and looked down at his chest. The pi symbol had an angry red ring around it and some clear liquid was seeping through.

"My God," Alan said, staring wide-eyed at it. "We need to get you to a doctor. Why haven't you gone in a filled the prescription? Or gone into the doctors again?" He asked, his voice slightly ringing with anger.

"Because last night it wasn't this bad." Charlie's voice was hollow.

* * *

Alan drove Charlie to the hospital and made sure he got in to see Dr. Mina Flint right away. He had to wait outside in the waiting room for Charlie, no matter how much he wanted to be in the room with his son. He looked around and noticed all the families who were there and those who were waiting for the doctor to be ready to see them. He made eye contact with one other. She had long blonde hair and a fresh black eye was brining out the blue in her eyes, a gash was clear on her forehead. Alan smiled weakly to her and she returned the weak smile.

* * *

Charlie was too, smiling weakly. "I-I'm sorry. I forgot to get the antibiotic."

Flint eyed him and sighed. Her hand went to the bridge of her nose. "I should have known that you'd forget." She brought her hand back down to her side. "I should have gotten it for you."

Charlie debated whether he should take that as an insult for not. He decided to shrug it off. "So. What now?"

Flint looked at the infection. "Well, a heavier antibiotic, that's for sure." She sighed. "I'll pick it up for you."

"No, you don't have to," Charlie said quickly, not wanting to bother the doctor any more than he had to. "My dad is here. He'll remember to get it."

Flint nodded. "Alright. I'll talk to him about it." She wrote down the prescription and followed Charlie out of the room.

* * *

Alan noticed that the girl he had smiled at quickly picked up a magazine and hid her face right as Charlie came into view. Shrugging it off as a coincidence, he turned to his son and the good doctor.

"I trust that you will pick up his medicine and make sure he takes it," Flint said coolly.

Alan nodded. "Of course." He took the piece of paper and smiled. "Thank you for seeing him when you're so busy."

"It's not a problem," Flint said simply. "I'll see you later. I will want to see Charlie again next week for a check up."

"Alright," Alan replied. "I'll make sure he comes by."

Charlie was just standing on the side lines, listening to the two others talk about him. He wasn't sure if he should be offended by the way they were talking about him with him right there. It was like he couldn't take care of himself. Well, in a way, he couldn't. He had forgotten to get the first antibiotic. And for the past few days he hadn't really slept or eaten anything. He was still taking his medications and he made sure he went to his sessions with Dr. Roland. But he just forgot to do those other things. He was thinking about what he was doing in his life when Alan put his hand on Charlie's shoulder, causing the younger man to jump despite himself.

"Whoa. Didn't mean to scare you, son," Alan said with a slight smile. "Come on. Let's go."

Charlie nodded, knowing that he had missed some of the conversation because he was too deep in his thoughts. Maybe he did need people to take care of him. He would always need someone to take care of him. This revelation bothered Charlie more than he cared to admit.

Charlie followed his dad to fill the prescription.

"Dr. Flint said that you'd have to take this with food and that you should take it right away. So, we'll go home and I'll fix you something to eat."

"Dad. It's not even noon."

"And you didn't eat breakfast because I brought you here right away," Alan said in his best fatherly voice.

Charlie sighed. "Alright."

So, soon Charlie was sitting at the table, staring down at a half eaten sandwich. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

Alan handed him the pills that he had to take.

Charlie stared at the many pills in his hand. It seemed strange that he was taking so many when not that long ago he wasn't taking any at all. He swallowed them all at once.

Alan sat down beside him. "I don't want you running around anywhere today. Not unless you absolutely have to."  
Charlie looked at his dad blankly. "Alright."

"Good." Alan smiled, patting Charlie on the back.

Charlie got up and moved over to the couch, he lay down and closed his eyes.

Alan hesitantly followed his youngest. "Everything alright?"

"I feel liked I missed something."

"What?" Alan asked, confused.

"It seems like I was close to something today." He quickly sat up. "Dad!"

"Charlie?"

"I think I saw Elizabeth at the hospital!" Charlie frantically stood up and started going towards the door.

"Hold on right there, young man," Alan scolded. "I doubt you saw her there. And you need to stay here and rest." Alan was worried for his son – for more than the physical body, but the mind as well. What Charlie had been doing to himself was not safe.

"But it makes sense. I should have been checking the hospital! And I really do think I saw her there. I need to talk to her." He started for the door again.

"Charlie!" Alan called out, trying to stop his son. "If she was there you've probably missed her by now."

Charlie stopped right before the door. "But I have to take a chance." He quickly opened the door and went to the hospital, leaving Alan in standing in the living room.

* * *

Charlie practically ran into the hospital. He wasn't looking where he was going and when he turned the first corner he ran into someone and fell. He looked up and met Elizabeth.

"Oh. God," Elizabeth said, backing away.

"N-No," Charlie said, quickly getting up and noticing her bruised back and broken arm. "He did this to you, didn't he?" He spoke in a whisper.

"I-I don't kn-know what you're talking about."

Charlie nodded. "Nate. Nate hits you."

She shook her head quickly. "No. He doesn't. He doesn't."

Charlie looked at Elizabeth in the eyes. "You can tell me the truth."

She was quiet for a moment. And Charlie waited for her. "He doesn't mean to."

Charlie saw tears in her eyes forming. He took her un-cast hand and took her over to a bench. They sat down together. "I'm sure he doesn't. But one day you won't be going to the hospital."

"It's my fault," she said quietly.

"It is not your fault. You are a victim," Charlie said, trying to get her to understand.

"No. It's my fault. I do something wrong and he gets mad."

"There is nothing that you can do that would deserve this kind of punishment," he said softly. "No one deserves this kind of punishment."

Suddenly, Elizabeth went on the defensive, "Oh yeah? What do you know about it?"

Charlie took a deep breath. "I've never been in an abusive relationship but I do have many scars. Both emotional and physical from being punished for something that wasn't my fault."

Elizabeth didn't really know Charlie, and she didn't know if what he said was true, but something deep inside of her seemed to connect to the man before sitting before. She couldn't explain it. She sighed and shook her head. "I can't get away from him."

"I'll help you."

"He'll kill you."

"I don't die easily," Charlie answered, remembering how many times he had already almost died in his life.

Elizabeth smiled weakly. "I-I don't know."

"Please. Let me help you." Charlie kept his voice soft and soothing.

Elizabeth looked into Charlie's eyes. Something seemed different. His eyes started to go out of focus. "Charlie?" She watched in horror as his body started to shake violently. "Charlie?!" she called out.

A nurse nearby heard Elizabeth's scream and she turned to see what was happening. "Oh my God! Doctor!" she yelled, running up to Charlie. "Please get back, Miss," she told Elizabeth.

A doctor ran up when he heard the nurse call for help. "He's having a seizure."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Standard still applies.  
A/N: Sorry for this chapter taking a while. And sorry if it seems short. I'm not going to give any excuses because I doubt you'd believe me. Or read this. Or care. So, yeah. . . On with the story.  
And as always, a thanks to stealthy290.

* * *

**

Elizabeth paced the lobby in the hospital not knowing what to do. She had watched in horror as the doctors quickly took Charlie away to get him stabilized. She sat down in a cold empty chair and sighed. Things were falling apart. The one man who seemed to care and want to help her needed help himself.

A blonde nurse from before quickly walked up to Elizabeth, "Are you related to the man who had the seizure?"

"N-No," Elizabeth said, not knowing who he was related to. How could she get a hold of his family? "I'm a friend. Is he okay?"

"He should be." The nurse answered with a small smile. She looked down at her chart for the man, there were a few things unfilled. So, she decided to get started on finding out the questions. "What is his name?"

Elizabeth was confused at first, but then thought about it. If none of those people knew him, then they wouldn't know his name. "Charlie Eppes."

* * *

Dr. Mina Flint was walking a patient out when she heard Charlie's name. She wondered why they were talking about her patient so she made her way over to the nurse and young woman. "Excuse me, are you talking about my patient?"

The nurse shrugged. "I'm not for sure. Would you like to see him and find out yourself?"

Mina nodded. "Please. I'm sure I can help you out in whatever predicament he got himself into now." She followed the nurse into Charlie's room and looked down at his unconscious body. "That is Charlie. So, tell me, what happened?"

The doctor, Dr. Mark Hender - a man in his mid-30's with a light blonde color of hair and dark green eyes, came up to stand beside Mina. "He had a seizure."

Mina raised her eyebrows. "He hasn't had one of those in a while."

"He has a history of seizures?" Mark asked, marking something on his clipboard.

She nodded. "He had gone through ECT." She sighed. "Do you know why he had a seizure?"

"The test results should come in soon," Mark replied. "Would you like to notify his family?"

Mina looked at the doctor. "Are you saying that they don't know?"

He nodded. "His friend outside knows. But I haven't seen her call anyone. Does he have a family?"

"Oh yes. He does." She sighed, "I'll go call them and talk to his friend." With that she walked out of the room. She ran her fingers through her hair as she went into her cold office. She sat in her warm chair and got out Charlie's folder, looking up his phone number. She slowly dialed the number and was glad when someone picked up the phone.

"Eppes residence. This is Alan speaking."

"Hello, Alan. This is Dr. Flint," she said and then she heard a gasp.

"Is everything alright?" His voice quivered with uncertainty.

"Alan, Charlie is in the hospital."

"What?" Alan sat down in the chair closest to him. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry to inform you that Charlie had a seizure," she sighed.

If Alan hadn't been sitting already, he would have suddenly needed a seat. "How?"

"We don't know for sure right now, but we are finding out as I speak. So, I suggest that you come to the hospital and maybe bring Don along too."

"Yes. Yes. Of course," Alan said. "Thank you." And with that, the phone conversation ended.

A knock sounded on Mina's door. "Come in," she said, hanging up the phone.

Mark came in with a sad smile, "We got the test results back."

"And?" Mina asked impatiently.

"It was caused by mixing two medicines that shouldn't have been mixed," he replied slowly.

Mina's mouth fell open. "You've got to be kidding. Please tell me you're kidding."

He shook his head and took a seat in front of Mina's desk. "I'm not."

Mina couldn't believe it. "What?"

"His medications didn't agree," Mark said with a slight smirk. "And it's all your fault, isn't it?"

"You don't need to be so happy about it," she jeered him.

"Oh, but I do. This could be malpractice. You didn't see if it would interact with the other medications he is on." His voice was soft, making Mina have to listen closely to hear what he was saying.

She could have killed herself. How could she be so stupid? Why hadn't she checked to make sure that the medications wouldn't interact?

* * *

Alan drove over to Don's apartment after he had tried to call Don's phone and getting no answer. He knew that Don had the day off, so he should be at home. But when he knocked on it, no one answered. Alan didn't need to worry about Don either. It would be a little to much for him. So, he called Don's cell phone again.

"You've reached Agent Don Eppes' phone. Leave a message," a monotone voice told Alan.

Alan sighed and decided to leave a message. "Donnie. I got a call from Dr. Flint - Charlie," Alan sighed deeply, "Charlie's in the hospital. Get there as soon as you get this." With that, Alan hung up his phone and quickly made his way to the hospital.

He walked briskly into the hospital. Stopping at the nurse's desk to ask what room his youngest son was in - room 84. Alan nodded his thanks to the young woman as he made his way to room number 84, finding it easily.

Elizabeth jumped when the door of Charlie's room opened. She was sure that Nate was going to walk in and grab her, push her to the ground and hurt Charlie. Maybe kill him. So, whenever the door opened, her heart started to race. But it wasn't Nate - it was the older man that she had seen at the hospital earlier.

Alan stopped in the doorway, not expecting to see anyone in the room sitting and watching over Charlie. He smiled sadly at her, recognizing her from before. "Hello."

"Hi," she replied, nervous. She eyed the older man before, and she ran through the possibilities. He knows Charlie. That was a fact she could tell by the look in his eyes and body language. She sighed, he must be Charlie's father. Or an uncle.

Alan walked in and looked at his son lying on the bed, unconscious. Charlie was asleep with all kinds of wires connected to him - a sight that he had never wanted to see again.

"They sedated him," Elizabeth said quietly, following Alan's gaze.

Alan nodded as he turned to face her. "I'm Alan Eppes. Charlie's father."

"Elizabeth Parker," she said, knowing that her assumption of the man was correct.

Alan smiled. "Ah. It's wonderful to finally meet you, dear."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrow slightly.

"Charlie has been looking for you," Alan answered the question he saw in her eyes.

"He has? W-Why?" Elizabeth asked, unsure of the answer.

Alan sighed. "I'm not really sure. He never told me why."

Elizabeth nodded. "Well. Now that you are here, I-I should go."

"You can stay if you want," Alan said, smiling. "I'd like the company.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I-I need to go h-home."

Alan got an uneasy feeling. "If you're sure."

She nodded. "I am. I-I'll check up on Ch-Charlie later." She quickly left the room.

* * *

Don's cell phone beeped. He grabbed it.

Nancy looked at him, unsure as to what he was doing.

"I've got a message," he told her and she nodded. He listened to his message.

Nancy watched as Don's face filled with worry, in his eyes she saw fear. After he hung up, she asked, "Don? What is it?"

Don lost his voice for a moment, and then regained it, but when he used it, it cracked. "Charlie's in the hospital again."

Nancy stared at Don. "Why?"

Don swallowed. "Dad didn't say." His throat felt dry.

Nancy knew what Don was thinking because she had the same thing on her mind. Charlie had a relapse and tried to kill himself again. It was a logical thing for them to assume - he had been worked up about find that girl: whatshername. Was she even real? Or a hallucination?

"Well then," Nancy started. "We'd better get ready to go and see him."

Don agreed, worried for his brother. What had he done now?


End file.
